"This book is an introduction to some of the main problems of philosophy--God, mind, freedom, knowledge, and ethics. The chapters may be read independently of one another. But when read in order, they tell a more or less continuous story. We begin with some reflections about the legacy of Socrates and then go on to the existence of God, which is perhaps the most basic philosophical question of all because our answer to it influences how we will answer all the others. This leads naturally to a discussion of death and the soul, and then to more modern ideas about the nature of persons. The later chapters are about whether it is possible for us to have objective knowledge in either science or ethics." James Rachels, from the Preface Problems from Philosophy and The Truth About the World: Basic Readings in Philosophy are at once James Rachels' newest contributions to philosophy and his last. In these two books, Rachels found a culminating expression for his love of philosophy.

Preface

Chapter 1: The Legacy of Socrates 1.1. Why Was Socrates Condemned? 1.2. Why Did Socrates Believe He Had to Die?

Chapter 2: God and the Origin of the Universe 2.1. Is It Reasonable to Believe in God? 2.2. The Argument from Design 2.3. Evolution and Intelligent Design 2.4. The First Cause Argument 2.5. The Idea that God Is a Necessary Being

Chapter 3: The Problem of Evil 3.1. Why Do Good People Suffer? 3.2. God and Evil 3.3. Free Will and Moral Character

Chapter 4: Do We Survive Death? 4.1. The Idea of an Immortal Soul 4.2. Is There Any Credible Evidence of an Afterlife? 4.3. Hume's Argument Against Miracles

Chapter 8: The Case Against Free Will 8.1. Are People Responsible for What They Do? 8.2. Determinism 8.3. Psychology 8.4. Genes and Behavior

Chapter 9: The Debate Over Free Will 9.1. The Determinist Argument 9.2. The Libertarian Response 9.3. The Compatibilist Response 9.4. Ethics and Free Will

Chapter 10: Our Knowledge of the World Around Us 10.1. The Brain in the Vat 10.2. Descartes' Problem 10.3. Three Other Attempts to Solve the Problem 10.4. Vision and the Brain 10.5. The Natural Theory

Chapter 11: Ethics and Objectivity 11.1. Thrasymachus's Challenge 11.2. Is Ethics Just a Matter of Social Conventions? 11.3. Ethics and Science 11.4. The Importance of Human Interests

Chapter 12: Why Should We Be Moral? 12.1. The Ring of Gyges 12.2. Ethics and Religion 12.3. The Social Contract 12.4. Morality and Benevolence

Chapter 13: The Meaning of Life 13.1. The Problem of the Point of View 13.2. Happiness 13.3. Death 13.4. Religion and the Indifferent Universe 13.5. The Meaning of Particular Lives Appendix: How to Evaluate Arguments Suggestions for Further Reading Notes on Sources

"This book is an introduction to some of the main problems of philosophy--God, mind, freedom, knowledge, and ethics. The chapters may be read independently of one another. But when read in order, they tell a more or less continuous story. We begin with some reflections about the legacy of Socrates and then go on to the existence of God, which is perhaps the most basic philosophical question of all because our answer to it influences how we will answer all the others. This leads naturally to a discussion of death and the soul, and then to more modern ideas about the nature of persons. The later chapters are about whether it is possible for us to have objective knowledge in either science or ethics." James Rachels, from the Preface Problems from Philosophy and The Truth About the World: Basic Readings in Philosophy are at once James Rachels' newest contributions to philosophy and his last. In these two books, Rachels found a culminating expression for his love of philosophy.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1: The Legacy of Socrates 1.1. Why Was Socrates Condemned? 1.2. Why Did Socrates Believe He Had to Die?

Chapter 2: God and the Origin of the Universe 2.1. Is It Reasonable to Believe in God? 2.2. The Argument from Design 2.3. Evolution and Intelligent Design 2.4. The First Cause Argument 2.5. The Idea that God Is a Necessary Being

Chapter 3: The Problem of Evil 3.1. Why Do Good People Suffer? 3.2. God and Evil 3.3. Free Will and Moral Character

Chapter 4: Do We Survive Death? 4.1. The Idea of an Immortal Soul 4.2. Is There Any Credible Evidence of an Afterlife? 4.3. Hume's Argument Against Miracles

Chapter 8: The Case Against Free Will 8.1. Are People Responsible for What They Do? 8.2. Determinism 8.3. Psychology 8.4. Genes and Behavior

Chapter 9: The Debate Over Free Will 9.1. The Determinist Argument 9.2. The Libertarian Response 9.3. The Compatibilist Response 9.4. Ethics and Free Will

Chapter 10: Our Knowledge of the World Around Us 10.1. The Brain in the Vat 10.2. Descartes' Problem 10.3. Three Other Attempts to Solve the Problem 10.4. Vision and the Brain 10.5. The Natural Theory

Chapter 11: Ethics and Objectivity 11.1. Thrasymachus's Challenge 11.2. Is Ethics Just a Matter of Social Conventions? 11.3. Ethics and Science 11.4. The Importance of Human Interests

Chapter 12: Why Should We Be Moral? 12.1. The Ring of Gyges 12.2. Ethics and Religion 12.3. The Social Contract 12.4. Morality and Benevolence

Chapter 13: The Meaning of Life 13.1. The Problem of the Point of View 13.2. Happiness 13.3. Death 13.4. Religion and the Indifferent Universe 13.5. The Meaning of Particular Lives Appendix: How to Evaluate Arguments Suggestions for Further Reading Notes on Sources